Seattle Seahawks Announce Qwest Field Is Now CenturyLink Field

For the third time since opening in 2002, the home of the Seattle Seahawks has a new name: CenturyLink Field.

Many saw this coming when CenturyLink purchased Qwest back in April.

CenturyLink Field was originally named Seahawks Stadium when it opened in 2002. Then, in 2004, the name was changed to Qwest Field when the company purchased the naming rights for 10 years, though 2014. Qwest payed $75 million for the naming rights to the stadium.

Since the new name is a mouthful, fans are already developing nicknames for the stadium. The most popular one so far? The Clink.

But Seahawks fans shouldn't get too used to this name, either. The naming rights are only good until 2014, so we could see another name in the very near future.

In this day and age, where sports are sometimes more of a business than they are a game, stadium name changes are quite common. Companies are willing to pay tens of millions of dollars to have their name on a stadium, and not many people these days will turn down money for tradition.

I'm not saying that CenturyLink Field is one steeped in tradition. It hasn't even seen 10 seasons yet. But what I am saying is after a number of years, names of stadiums really start to go along with a reputation.

If you asked any NFL fan to use one word to describe Qwest Field, it would probably be "deafening."

Now, for at least the next year, ask that same fan to describe CenturyLink Field in one word, and the word will have changed from "deafening" to "what?"

Stadium name changes are a part of sports now, and even though we may not like it, eventually we must get used to it.

Many fans didn't like it when Seahawks Stadium became Qwest Field. But everyone got used to it, and the name of the stadium eventually sent chills down visiting players' spines. Just ask Drew Brees and the Saints.

Fans adjusted to the first name change, and they will adjust to this one and any other change coming in the future.